In today's world, we face numerous environmental and health challenges, with microplastics being one of the biggest global problems. The category of pollutants related to microplastics, which pose a risk to the environment and health, also includes the pollutants discussed in my work: phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and bisphenols. Phthalates and bisphenols are ingredients in plastics, while PAHs have the ability to adsorb onto plastic particles. All three groups of pollutants share the characteristics of being endocrine disruptors and have a negative impact on the reproductive system. They can potentially be carcinogenic, and some can also bioaccumulate.
In my bachelor’s thesis, I focused on optimization of solid-phase extraction (SPE) of the dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, naphthalene, acenaphthene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, bisphenol A, and bisphenol S. The studied parameters related to extraction recoveries were: different types of SPE cartridges, various elution solvents and their volumes, the influence of solvent evaporation, ionic strength and pH of the sample, and washing step. A breakthrough volume determination experiment was conducted, and the reproducibility of the extraction was demonstrated.
Using solid phase extraction, the HLB cartridge was conditioned with 5 mL of methanol and equilibrated with 5 mL of Milli-Q water. 20 mL aqueous solution of pollutants with an approximate concentration of 1 mg/L and the 5 wt.% NaCl addition was applied. The cartridge was washed with 5 mL of Milli-Q water. Elution was performed using 4 mL of MeOH : ACN : EtOAc = 1 : 3 : 1 (V/V/V), and extraction recoveries were achieved in the range of 79.5% to 101.2% for phthalates, 30.7% to 51.1% for PAHs, and 99.5% to 100.9% for bisphenols. For the quantification of the analytes, a pre-optimized HPLC-DAD method was applied.
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